Betrayal
by Bralt
Summary: An injured boy doesn't seem like a large problem for a Ranger, even if he does have a bit of a record. However, what if this boy is smarter than he seems? NOT A 'NEW APPRENTICE' FIC
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**I know I should be answering all the reviews and PM from awesome people I've received, but I've been trying to sort a lot of things out. And I also know I should be writing for the Gilan fic, but I haven't got anything planned out for that yet and this idea for a fic has been buzzing around my head for a while. That and I wanted to update something to prove I'm still alive. Though I might be going under the ground again...I truly hate the end of the school year. Too many tests.**

The sound of a racing heartbeat echoed in his ears as he raced through the forest avoiding trees and other obstacles in the dim light from the moon. Cold night air stung his eyes and slapped his cheeks as he continued bounding through the densely wooded area. Casting a glance back over his shoulder, he almost stopped dead in his tracks. Not only were the three men on foot still following him but they now had dogs. If he listened closely, he could hear their baying over the sound of his own thundering heart and gasping breath.

The dogs were meant for pure annihilation. Once they were out there was no hope for the hunted unless the owners decided to take mercy, which didn't seem likely. He looked back over his shoulder to try and see a way out of his situation, but the sight of the dog's gnawing fangs and muscled bodies forced him to look forward once more. Adrenaline and pure fear pushed him forwards into a faster pace that shouldn't have been possible with his tired body. By now everything was a blur, but he knew it wouldn't be long before he wasn't able to continue on. He was human and everybody had their limits.

A cloud passed over the moon and the forest went completely dark for single moment. In that time a knotted root found its way in front of him and he went tumbling towards the ground.

And he hit it hard.

The first dog reached him in a matter of seconds. The beast landed on top of his chest with crushing power, sweeping the air out of his lungs. From there it was just pain, fangs and shouts then finally the relief of blackness.

**Please review and title might change so be on the look out for that**


	2. Zachary

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**So I figure this is around the end of the first war, but before Halt has Gilan.**

Halt glided through the forest with his usual ease. Silent as a cat, he slipped between the trees until he caught up with the source of noise. Standing around were two people, each was holding two leashes a piece that belonged to large dogs. Halt ducked behind a tree with a good view of the duo yet far enough away that the dogs wouldn't sense him. For now he was downwind of the dogs so them smelling him wouldn't be an issue

"He's dead, there's no sense in wasting time and carrying him back," one of the men said gruffly. He was on the shorter side, but made up for it in muscle. Halt tried to make out his features, but he was in shadow and all the Ranger could tell was that his eyes were a striking blue and his hair a light brown. Halt would guess he was in his late twenties.

"You don't know that," another man said. He had his back turned to Halt and the Ranger couldn't tell anything beyond the fact he was tall and a built like a knight.

"Look at him, the dogs practically tore his chest apart. You know how they work, either he's dead now or he will be soon," the shorter one argued.

Halt glanced at the dogs and had to agree that they could do some damage on a person. They were bred for fighting which meant they had short hair with bristling muscles beneath. Their teeth looked sharp and lethal and Halt had an idea that their claws matched.

"I don't want to take the chance, you know what happens if we mess up once more," the other shot back.

Halt moved slowly to raise his bow. It was already strung and had an arrow ready to go as always. Glancing at the two figures still bickering, he stood up. One of the dogs turned and started barking, but he paid it no attention.

"King's Ranger, turn now and drop any weapons," Halt ordered, stepping out from behind the tree.

Almost immediately the dogs started straining on their leashes to try and get to him. Even with their large fangs dripping saliva, Halt stood his ground without any sign of fear or hesitation. The men spun around quickly for they hadn't heard the Ranger which wasn't uncommon. There was a quick glance shared between them and Halt knew what was going to happen before it did. Though there was nothing he could do about it.

"Very well," the taller man said. "Drop our weapons we will."

And with that they let go of the dogs.

Halt had his first three arrows heading for the lead dog in a matter of a short second. They all hit the beast's chest where Halt had intended them to and the dog fell, though it still squirmed on the ground. Dropping his bow and unsheathing his knives quickly, he prepared to fend off the remaining three.

The second dog came sprinting towards him with its fangs bared and a growl forming deep in its throat. Halt sliced at the hulking dog's neck once it got too close for comfort and turned quickly to smack another dog's snout with the hilt of his knife. Said dog reeled back and shook its head before coming back in for another shot. Getting himself into a better position to fend the dog off, Halt felt one of the others bite at his leg.

Cursing out loud, Halt tried to ignore it as he rammed his saxe hilt deep into the charging dog's chest. The dog growled and attempted to bite him, but Halt had managed to lodge the knife deep into its heart. In a short moment it fell and Halt wrenched the knife out of its chest.

Turning his upper body, Halt saw that the dog he'd sliced across the neck was lying in a puddle of blood and fading. Using the hilt of the knife, he smacked the head of the dog that had a grip on his ankle. The dog reeled back and growled, looking more angry than hurt.

Halt ignored the throbbing pain and feeling of pouring blood on his leg and focused on his target. In a swift and accurate motion, he threw the saxe to have it stab the beast in the heart. Once that was over, Halt turned his gaze to the man on the ground that the dogs had been hunting.

"Pauline's going to kill me," Halt muttered and began helping the unconscious man as best as he could.

* * *

The first thing he felt waking up was pain, and it wasn't just focused on one area. It was all over, from his head right down to his toes. Groaning slightly, he forced his eyes open to find out he was in a basic bedroom. There was a candle burning down on a simple nightstand to his right while there was a door on the wall to the left.

Blinking a few times to get a better view, he sat up and immediately grimaced. Looking down at himself, he saw that his chest was all bandaged and his tattered shirt had been removed. Red blotches colored the bandages and he cursed. It'd be hell getting around with his chest like it was.

"Look who's awake," a voice muttered from the doorway and he looked up quickly.

Standing in the doorway was a man in what would be described as forester clothes. He held a bowl of soup and walked over with dead silent tread, though he seemed to have a limp, to put it on the nightstand. He then proceeded to pull up a chair and sit down beside the bed.

"I take it you're Zachary," Halt stated. The boy, who looked to be around sixteen looked up sharply. It'd been a long time since he'd heard himself being referred to as anything besides 'that bastard'. "Eat up and then we'll talk," Halt added and handed Zachary the bowl of soup before leaning back in his chair.

Zachary was tempted to ask one of the million questions buzzing around his head, but his stomach growled and the need for something to eat overcame his need for answers.

Halt watched as he began to eat the soup and did a quick study. The boy had dark brown hair, almost black, and smirking blue eyes. Along his chin was evidence that a beard was starting. He wasn't built like a knight, but he wasn't skinny either, somewhere in between and his features were sharp.

Once he was done eating, Halt took the bowl and set it back down on the nightstand.

"Begin with why you were being chased through the forest by a pack of dogs," Halt commanded. Zachary frowned and lay back down on the bed. He wasn't used to taking orders and it'd been the reason for his getting in trouble more than once.

"I think I'd like to know your name first," he said. Halt raised an eyebrow at him and he got the feeling this wasn't a man to mess with.

Halt went to say something then stopped; he'd heard a slight Pictan accent. It was blended in with several other accents as well, but it was clearly the dominant one. Based on the beat up clothing he'd found Zachary in, Halt figured that the boy moved around a lot, never staying in one place long enough to develop the proper accent. Picta was more than likely the last place he'd been so that burr came out on top.

"Halt," Halt said coldly. "Now you."

"It was just a deal gone sour," Zachary responded smoothly. He'd moved around a lot, and in that time he'd learned to give out very little information about himself and his actions. He glanced at Halt, but couldn't tell anything by the grim expression the man held. Biting back a yawn, he said, "Explain why I'm here." Halt crossed his arms and glared at the boy.

"You'll learn respect for the person that saved you first," he muttered and frowned slightly when he heard a knock at the front door to the cabin. Standing up, Halt glanced once more at Zachary. "Don't do anything foolish," he warned and left.

Halt walked over to the door, his limp becoming more pronounced the more he used the injured leg. Once he got to the door he opened it, and cursed when he saw Pauline.

**Sorry for any confusion when Zachary woke up if you thought it was Halt...please review**


	3. A New Plan

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

She was dressed in her usual courier's uniform, but she looked exhausted and Halt figured there was irritation mixed in there someplace. He winced internally at the idea of how late she must have waited for him at her apartment.

"Explain," she ordered and Halt raised an eyebrow.

"You knocked on the door so I opened it," he stated.

She rolled her eyes impatiently and crossed her arms. Before she could say anything, she caught a slight shift in Halt has he took weight off his injured leg. Glancing down, worry blossomed in her features as she saw his torn pant leg and bloody bandage. Halt glanced down as well and scowled. Changing pants had been the furthest thing on his mind when he'd gotten home nearly asleep, but now he was slightly irritated that he hadn't. In all honesty it looked worse than it really was as he hadn't gotten around to cleaning it up yet.

"What did you do this time?" she asked. She was composed as always, but Halt saw the same look in her eyes as he saw every time he had an injury.

"Fell into a briar patch," he muttered though he knew she wouldn't believe it. You couldn't tear your pants and leg up this bad by simply falling into briars.

Pauline's features grew sterner and the worry dissolved. She was looking for answers and Halt didn't want to give them. This reluctance was furthered by the fact he'd left her waiting for him to show up for dinner after telling her he'd show up and his excuse wasn't exactly a good one.

"Don't tell me you were looking for those foolish bandits. Rodney told you he'd have The Watch handle it."

"The Watch can hardly control a drunken dupe," Halt grumbled back and leaned against the doorframe. "Especially after this damned war, because we still have royal snobs in positions they don't know how to run," he added.

"There's at least twenty in their group, you can't take them all on your own," she argued.

"I had a better shot than The Watch seeing as I picked off seven with arrows and ran the rest out," he objected. "Don't you have some meeting?" he asked. From inside he could hear movement and knew Zachary would be up to something. That was something he didn't need her to know about. Housing a boy whose face was on every wanted poster within half the country wasn't a good thing.

Pauline glared at him and turned around, walking away from the cabin. Halt muttered a few things before shutting the door and going back to Zachary's room. The boy was sitting up with his legs dangling over the edge of the bed. Resuming his seat, Halt crossed his arms and looked at him.

"Why am I here?" Zachary asked immediately. Halt raised an eyebrow at him.

"It might have something to do with the fact you were bleeding out in the middle of the forest," he answered. Zachary frowned.

"So you just happened to be walking around in that particular part of the forest?" he asked speculatively. Halt shook his head slightly.

"The barking of four dogs the size of boulders could be heard two fiefs over," the Ranger grumbled.

"How do you know my name?" Zachary questioned. He could understand how four large dogs barking their heads off could call attention, but it didn't explain this stranger's knowledge of him.

Halt muttered a few words that described his thoughts on questions before glaring at Zachary.

"A portrait of your head is on every tavern door and market stall in Araluen along with a price for it. I'd have to be blind and deaf not to know you," he said in response.

Zachary scowled, not understanding. He knew what this man was by now. He'd heard legends of Araluen Rangers in the war with Morgarath while traveling from Picta. And he realized how the man might know him. It was sheer luck he hadn't been spotted before. That and he'd been taught to stick to back roads and the shadier parts of towns to avoid any trouble. The only thing that was confusing him was why this Ranger, Halt, wasn't taking him into some dungeon or shooting him through the ears with an arrow.

"Why am I still alive then?" Zachary asked impulsively. Halt cocked an eyebrow at him.

"You're quite annoying for somebody who's living off my good nature," he stated. Zachary looked at the grim man and decided that wasn't the right answer. "However, if you must know, I thought it'd be considerate of you to explain to me why you're out and about killing nobles so soon after your father was defeated."

* * *

Morgarath cursed once more as his pathetic excuse for a steed stumbled over the hard rocks that were now his home. Kicking the horse mercilessly until it stood once more, he glared at the wargals to his sides. This was all he had left: a wretched army of hairy beasts that couldn't survive on their own skill. Of course, he had an inner circle of humans that had joined him while in Gorlan, but the majority of them had escaped before being trapped into the Mountains of Rain and Night. Then there were the few that had stayed with him that he'd sent off to kill those who had abandoned the cause.

Before he could get back to cursing his mount's inability to navigate the rough terrain gracefully, one of the men he'd kept with him ran up to him. He had a scroll in his hand and did a quick bow before starting to speak.

"My Lord, we've just received news from the two men you sent out last week. They say that the boy was taken by the Ranger Halt," he said. The entire time he made sure to avoid eye contact. "They say that they'll pursue trying to kill him though," the man rushed on.

A cruel smile twisted Morgarath's features as his logical mind went to work. Though it would be nice to have the boy killed, he was a special case. He hadn't run off in the middle of the war, he had been sent out on an assassination mission along with several other men before the real fighting started. He'd been the sole survivor that had been captured, however, in the time after the war Araluen was getting reorganized and the focus on prisoners was at a minimum.

The Dark Lord had heard rumors the boy had escaped and had sent out men to chase him down. He knew too much and though it hadn't been his choice to be captured, Morgarath took it as a desertion and he didn't care much for those who deserted him. Son or not.

However, he was now seeing an opportunity he hadn't seen before. There had been several reports from his outside men claiming nobles had still been dying and they hadn't found any clues as to who it was. Even though it could technically be anybody, a feeling told him it was who he thought it was, especially since those nobles had been on a long list of men he wanted dead.

And if that was the case, the second chance he hoped for was coming far sooner than expected.

**Please review and if you have any questions whatsoever, feel free to leave them in a review**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**I HAVE LIKE ONE DAY LEFT OF SCHOOL THEN JUST A FEW BIG TESTS AND THEN I CAN REJOIN ALL OF YOU AWESOME PEOPLE! And with that out of my system, the story:**

"Who says I've been around killing?" Zachary asked.

The sentence was spoken simply and naturally, the tone revealing nothing of the boy's nervousness. Despite all the times it'd happened before, one could not be easy with their life in jeopardy. Halt could just chose not to believe his argument and all would be lost. He'd be a goner.

"Name somebody else that it might be," Halt stated. He was calm as always, and he fully knew he held all the power. It was up to him whether or not this boy was to live or die, and he was positive Zachary was aware of that as well.

Without him even realizing it, Halt was biased to the boy in a way. In the back of his mind where not much attention is ever paid an invisible thought was telling him the boy couldn't be doing the murders. He was just a boy after all. Halt realized Zachary was just a mere four years younger than he. The idea that somebody so young could be capable of killing mercilessly was inconceivable to him. Even without his recognizing it. It was almost like an instinct.

"Ever think it might just be one of the dozen other assassins Morgarath had at his beck and call?" Zachary said while maintaining eye contact with the Ranger. A dark cloud seemed to drift into the Ranger's dark eyes and Zachary realized this man wasn't one to be fresh with.

"It's crossed my mind, however, you're the one they're looking for," Halt responded coolly.

"That's because I'm free and the others know that. I'm the perfect scapegoat at the moment," Zachary muttered. Halt was quiet for a moment before standing.

What Zachary had said made sense. At the moment he truly was the perfect person to blame. Anybody that was doing anything illegal would be looking for an alibi or somebody else to blame. It was known who he was and it was also a fact that Morgarath had quite a few human assassins. Halt knew loyalty was a strong force. Morgarath had been defeated, but not all his men were captured yet. It was quite possible they were carrying on his work in the attempt to give him a second chance at taking over the kingdom, and if that were true it meant that Zachary was innocent.

"Aren't you going to let me go?" Zachary asked as Halt started towards the door. The Ranger turned and crossed his arms.

"Go ahead, but you'll have The Guard on you in a matter of minutes," he muttered. Zachary went to say something, but stopped. He knew that was true. He'd seen the posters. "I'll be back later, don't be foolish," Halt added and left.

Zachary shifted to a more comfortable position with a smirk on his face. That had been relatively easy. With the Rangers' reputation he'd thought lying to one would present more of a challenge.

* * *

By the time Halt got up to the castle, the sky was starting to turn dark. However, the bridge wouldn't be down for a few more hours, and that was all he needed. Most of the inhabitants were in their apartments at this time, so Halt didn't meet many people in the courtyard. Inside the castle there were a few messengers and servants running around. Halt made his way up to the Baron's office quietly and opened the door without knocking, as was his custom.

"Yes, come in," Arald said sarcastically from behind his large desk. He had papers thrown about the large piece of furniture and he looked ready to go to bed. "What brings you here?" he added when Halt didn't respond. The Ranger stayed standing and looked at him.

"You've heard of the boy murderer. Zachary," he stated simply. Arald frowned, but nodded.

"Morgarath's boy," he said. "The one with a reward on his head for escaping," he added.

Halt nodded, an almost imperceptible movement of his head. He'd forgotten the boy had ever been captured, but he wasn't too focused on that. People could be locked in a cell for being drunk in public, escaping for something so simple wasn't that big a deal, especially when prisoners of war had taken over most of the prisons. It was more than likely he had been released without anybody knowing it and later deemed to be an escapee. Now, however, it was said he was a murderer. Which Halt still wasn't as sure as he should be about.

"I've got him in my cabin," Halt said evenly. Arald's eyes widened and a slight smile pulled on his lips.

"I knew you would, Halt, I'll send a letter to Crowley and Duncan and we can decide what to do with him. Until then I can send Rodney down with a few men and they can bring him up here to the dungeons," Arald explained. Halt waited until he'd stopped talking before replying.

"That won't be necessary, I want to keep him for a while," Halt stated. Arald's frown creased his brow again, but Halt didn't move to explain. Nor did he let anything show on his grim and shadowed face.

He wanted to talk to a few people before he turned the boy in. It'd crossed his mind more than once he was going to be the deciding factor for if a boy lived or died. He wasn't about to jump to a conclusion based on a few rumors and stories that had come out of a bunch of chaos after the war. More than once he'd found out that almost all stories were embellished and only slightly resembling the real truth.

"I don't believe that's a good-"Arald started then stopped and sighed. He was far too tired to argue with Halt, and he knew the Ranger would get what he wanted in the end anyway. He also knew that if he asked for a reason Halt would withhold as much as he could and it could take hours to even get the slightest bit of real information. Overall it wasn't worth the effort, and Arald had complete confidence the Ranger knew what he was doing. "Fine, do what you wish, but I do advise you to let Crowley and Duncan know what you're up to," he said.

Halt nodded and left the office. By now it was practically dark, the sun gone from the sky. The Ranger frowned slightly; he hadn't realized how late it really was. Lately the days had been turning shorter as winter approached and the sun left the sky sooner than expected. Halt hadn't yet adjusted to the change.

He made his way down the corridor, letting his thoughts wander onto Zachary. He believed the boy somewhat, but there were still gaps to fill in and things that needed to be explained. He wanted to get Crowley to come to Redmont and listen to what Zachary had to say. Though he'd never admit it, Halt valued Crowley's opinion over most others and even thought he was a bit of a good thinker. He'd never admit that though, even if he was paid.

Going down the stairs, Halt was still lost in thought and only realized he'd run into somebody when they grabbed onto his arm for support, and dragged him down as well. Scowling, Halt started to stand back up, and stopped when he realized he'd run into Pauline. At the moment he'd rather run into Morgarath himself.

**Sorry if anything was confusing, I worked on this over a course of however long I was gone. So if there's any questions or major problems you see (such as statements at the end contradicting those at the beginning) just mention them. Thanks for reading, please review**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**For a starter, please don't kill me. I swear I wanted to write, I just...I never got around to it I suppose...I've been reading a lot lately, I finished a few series and started a new one so please don't kill me. I swear I'll try and write more :D**

"Pauline," Halt muttered in a pathetic resemblance of a greeting.

Straightening up the rest of the way, Halt went to stride past the courier. He should have known that wouldn't work. Before he could get too far away, Pauline rested a gentle hand on his arm. There was a slight hesitation before he stopped, though he knew he didn't really have an option. If he just walked away then he knew she would follow him.

"It's late, you shouldn't be walking around," the Ranger advised.

He didn't feel like speaking to Pauline. He hadn't felt like speaking to her much since the war, and he knew exactly why. It'd been a known fact they'd shared a relationship slightly more than just acquaintances before the war, but he'd refused to go into battle knowing she was so close to him. Little by little he'd grown further apart from her, and by the time he'd had to leave to fight she was little more than somebody he passed in the corridor on occasion. After he'd gotten back it seemed she was determined to build a bridge across the gap he'd dug. Though part of him wanted that, the other half knew it was best to keep her away. He was a Ranger, he was supposed to be mysterious and tough, cold hearted and a monster. Having Pauline close to him wasn't going to be a benefit to anybody. Not only that, but he'd seen many enemies use people close to their adversaries as leverage. He'd never say it or even acknowledge it in his mind, but he couldn't risk that happening to Pauline.

"I could say the same for you," she said softly and looked him over. "How's your leg?"

"Fine," Halt grunted and cursed mentally as a bolt of pain shot up his leg.

Not thinking about the injury had practically erased the pain, but now that she'd said something it all came back. It didn't help that he hadn't changed the bandage yet or bothered to clean it up. The most he'd done was changed his pants so it couldn't be seen anymore. Her hand tightened slightly on his arm and he got the feeling she wanted to say something. However, he didn't want to be dragged into conversation.

"The bridge will be raised soon," he said quickly and pulled his arm away from her. She started after him as he strode down the hallway, keeping up with his pace.

"Are you free tomorrow night?" Pauline asked after a few silent moments.

"No," he muttered instantly without looking at her.

He knew what she was going to ask, it was what she asked almost every time she wondered if he was free. Even if he had wanted to go, Halt would have refused. Zachary was still down at his cabin and though he wasn't convinced the boy was the killer, he wasn't completely invested in the idea that he was innocent either. The only reason he'd left him alone while coming to see Arald was because his chest was torn up, and Halt doubted he'd be able to get far or do much.

Pauline frowned slightly and stopped. Halt kept walking, though he didn't make it far before her hand grabbed his. Scowling slightly, Halt took his hand back and turned to look at her.

"Would it kill you to tell me what's going on for once?" she asked with a note of steel in her voice.

Halt crossed his arms, mentally cursing how couriers were trained to read behavior and other actions. He also cursed himself for relaxing slightly with her around. Had he been on full alert she'd have never realized something was out of the ordinary.

"I was heading back to the cabin before the bridge went up," he answered gruffly. Pauline rolled her eyes.

"That's not what I meant and you know it," she shot back.

"I'm leaving on a mission tomorrow, and I need to get up early," Halt lied, and turned back around. Without listening for a response, he strode down to the stables and saddled Abelard before leading him out and mounting.

Once back at the cabin Halt immediately knew something was out of the ordinary. His suspicion was confirmed as Abelard gave a slight twitch of his ears. They weren't at the lean-to where Halt kept Abelard yet, and the Ranger slid his eyes to look around the clearing under his cowl. There was a slight wind, and the tree branches were rustling with it. Halt frowned slightly when he caught sight of a bush moving opposite the wind, as if somebody were hiding behind it.

Clutching his bow in his hand, Halt casually raised the weapon and drew an arrow from the quiver. Pulling the string back, Halt stopped Abelard and pointed the missile towards the bush.

"King's Ranger, show yourself," he commanded in his dark voice. He felt a gentle rain starting, but didn't move. Abelard kept still as a rock like his training had told him to. After a few moments Halt let Abelard take a few steps towards the bush. For a passing second he considered that he was wrong and nothing was out of the ordinary. That he was just being paranoid. That second was quickly over when a man stood up from behind the bush.

"Don't shoot sir, I've just lost my way," the man pleaded. He was dressed in nearly all black. A black cloak wrapped around him to complete the outfit. His face was hidden in shadow and a sheet of rain that was starting to come down harder, but Halt swore there was something familiar about the figure. There was something about the striking blue eyes that shone out from the shadows.

His body tensing, Halt spun around in his saddle quickly, bow raised and arrow nocked, but by then it was too late. Between himself and the cabin was a loose half circle of mounted men. All had swords and looked like they were ready for blood. Behind him he heard the howling of dogs, killer dogs. Halt cursed out loud, he'd heard something earlier, but had dismissed it as nothing. He'd been too distracted thinking about damned couriers and boys lost in the forest.

For a moment nothing happened as Halt drunk in what was going on. Then he started shooting. Out of what he estimated to be twenty men, three went down with strangled cries and another's horse fell, taking the rider with him.

The assembled brigands charged then and halt dismounted quickly, shooting down two more before they got too close. Three of them charged him while the others closed in around him in a tight circle. Throwing his bow aside and whistling for Abelard to run, Halt counted to three slowly. At three he dove towards the middle rider's horse, tucking into a tight ball and rolling under the horse. When he came up his two knives were clutched in his hands.

Men hurried out of the way as the three riders barreled onwards and for a moment Halt felt a brief victory. That victory was not lived long. Halt was back in the middle of the circle, knives in both hands. The remaining men had dismounted and most were making faints and jabs at him. Halt easily flicked them aside, what he was really concerned with was the growling coming from outside the circle. In the small gaps in the circle Halt spotted a large grey mass of muscle and had a sinking feeling. It was a dog like the one that had been after Zachary in the forest. He felt his ankle throbbing and clenched his teeth.

Halt was still working out what to do while flicking aside pathetic swings and ill planned jabs when the dog leaped over two of the shorter assembled men. Being the Ranger he was, Halt's instincts reacted swiftly and allowed him to avoid being crushed under 200 pounds of muscle and slobber. However, that was the end of his good luck. Moving aside meant bringing himself closer to some of the outlaws, and he felt a flaring pain as a sword sliced a gash across his back. Cursing audibly, Halt threw his saxe with should be devastating force at the advancing dog. It landed in the middle of its barrel chest, but didn't seem to affect the beast.

The next few moments Halt couldn't remember much except for saliva covered teeth as sharp as the finest daggers and hacking swords. As his vision turned from blurry to black, Halt asked himself for the first time since finding the boy if saving Zachary was really worth it.

**Please review, I'd love to hear your thoughts, I know the part about Halt not hearing them wasn't really explained, but I didn't think it really necessary to write a hundred words on how he was distracted...unless you thought that would be better.**


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